Chapter 24 - Chapter 23: Part 1: Chapter 23: Calamity Wakes Part 2

Had to break it into 2 parts, the chapter went over the word limit

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Okay, Frank was not ready for that. "Huh?"

"The moment we heard that Frank and Anne were here, we rushed over to reunite these three friends and hold a celebration," Grime explained, gesturing to the three humans standing next to him.

"Aw, come here," Sasha said, hugging both Frank and Anne.

Feeling very uncomfortable being held by her, Frank himself away. Turning to the toad leader, Frank looked at him with confusion and shock. "H-Hold it, stop!"

Grime looked at him in confusion. "Is there a problem, Ramirez?

"'Is there a problem?' Are you kidding?! You're invading our town, and now you want to have a party?" Frank asked incredulously.

"What, we're not invading. Why would we?" Grime asked.

"Uh, hello! Tartarus?" Frank asked. However, he got no significant reaction from the toad. "....Tartarus. You know, the big guy with the hammer...? The guy I killed!"

"Oooh, that guy? No, I'm not mad about that." Grime said, waving him off nonchalantly.

Frank was not prepared to hear that. He looked at Anne, who shrugged. He then turned back to Grime with a raised eyebrow. "You're not?"

"You kidding me? That guy was a dick. Did me a favor killing him off," Grime said, crossing his arms. "Always talking about war and fighting me for command. He was a walking migraine."

"Okay, then what about the wanted poster?!" Frank threw his arms up.

"How else were we supposed to find you?" Sasha asked. "We didn't know where you were or if you were still alive. So we used them like missing posters so that someone would find you and turn you over to us."

That sounded like BS, and Frank knew it. If that was the case, then they could have used actual missing posters. But right now, he wasn't trying to understand why the toads would use wanted posters that way. He was more interested in the fact that they weren't trying to kill him and everyone else for Tartarus and making examples of them.

"So... you're not here to arrest anyone? You just want us...to come to a party?" It sounded so weird asking that.

"Yes. Despite my rough exterior, I really am just an 'old softy,'" he said, using air quotes. Sasha cleared her throat and gestured for Grime to smile.

When he did, he did it with a scary smile, which only frightened the people. It even made a tadpole burst into tears.

Seeing the situation not going their way, Sasha quickly pushed Grime to the side. "Uh, so, what do you say, Wartwood? You ready to party back at the tower?"

The crowd remained silent. That was until Mrs. Croaker shouted from the sea of frogs. "What do Frank and Anne think?"

"I think that if she tells you her hair's blonde, she'd still be lying!" Frank said, glaring at Sasha.

"Okay, one: You know damn well this is my natural hair color!" Sasha said, looking offended. She calmed down and continued. "Two: What kind of wisdom is that? Can't you see past what has already been left behind us? See that we all want the same thing? What happened is in the past, Frank. So, let's work together."

Frank scowled at her with contempt. He didn't trust Sasha in the slightest and wasn't willing to put the people of Wartwood in danger just because the blonde girl asked him to.

However, someone was.

"Frank, maybe we should trust her," Anne suggested, making Frank turn around to look at her incredulously.

"Are you serious? Are you forgetting what she did to us?" Frank asked.

"Of course not. I've been working hard to regain your friendship. But Sasha's been my friend—our friend since kindergarten. If she says it's fine, it's fine, right? How much do you trust me?"

"With my life," Frank said, making Anne place her hand on his cheek.

"Then trust me when I say that Sasha can be trusted. Trust my judgment," Anne pleaded with her best friend.

Frank wanted to argue with her but found himself unable to put his concerns into his voice. The way she looked at him made Frank want to agree with Anne, even though his brain was telling him this was BS. He looked over his shoulder at Sasha, who was just looking at her nails. She looked up at him as if expecting him to hurry up and agree.

Looking at Anne again, he saw her with a hopeful smile. In the end, Frank sighed and turned around to Sasha. "Alright, but under one conduction. Say you're sorry," he said with a smirk.

"Excuse me?" Sasha asked, looking offended.

"You heard me!" Frank shouted, marching up to Sasha's face. "You didn't have to cojones to end our friendship three years ago by yourself, but instead forced Anne into ending hers with me. And yet here you are, acting like it's not a big deal without so much as an apology! You want me to go to this party? Say you're sorry."

Anne and everyone else looked at the two former friends with wide eyes as Sasha's face twisted into disdain. Waiting to see what her response will be. Frank waited, too, scowling at her.

In the end, the blonde girl groaned loudly. "Fine. I'm sorry," she said with apparent distaste. Anne sighed sadly, knowing that Sasha never meant it when she was forced to apologize.

Frank, however, took it and stepped back to stand with Anne. Begrudgingly, he said, "So where is the party at?"

Sasha pushed him away from her and cheerfully announced. "Whoo! All aboard the party barge!"

And so it was! The residents of Wartwood boarded the large barge hooked up behind a giant tarantula and started dancing to the music being played. It was so rare for them to have a party. But two? That was something special.

Frank and Anne were behind the frogs, but Sasha stopped them. "Psst, Frank, Anne, you're with me," she said, pointing to her carriage. With was decorated with gold and pulled by a spider, which, for some reason, had sunglasses and hair.

"Why did you put glasses on what spider?" Frank asked.

"Wow, cool. Hey, mind if the, uh, Plantars come along?" Anne asked, with the froggy family smiling.

Sasha looked at them with a disinterested frown before shrugging. "Of course, I don't mind. The more, the merrier." She said, though the blonde really didn't mean it.

The Plantars cheered, with Hop Pop exclaiming, "First class!" They all rushed inside, pushing and shoving each other to get the best seats.

"I can assure you they're housebroken," Frank said.

Toad Tower.

It was a castle made of stone bricks and surrounded by a mountainous region comprising of large snow-capped mountains and ravines. There are many barren trees seen surrounding the tower and its walled exterior. The tower itself was built atop a rocky cliff with one leading pathway connecting it to the mainland, serving as its only entrance. A single, long red flag is placed at the top of the tower. Many fire torches could also be seen around the walls, at the gate, and along the tower's battlements.

The three humans stepped outside when Sasha's carriage and the party barge parked inside the tower's walls. "So, here we are," said Sasha.

Frank looked at the tower, and to say it was ominous would be an understatement. In fact, he could have sworn that he heard an organ playing and a flashing of red lightning crackling in the sky.

"This is where you've been living? I thought you said you were staying in a palace," Frank said brazenly.

Sasha lightly laughed off the remark. "Oh, Percy!" She called to one of the toads.

Rushing over to Sasha was a light green toad with tiny green spots along the side of his body. He had a lighter underbelly and wore brown armor with leather armbands and a grey helmet.

"Yes, Commander?" Percy saluted.

"I'm gonna give Frank and Anne a quick tour. Escort these frogs to the banquet hall."

"Hey, I wanna go on the tour too." Sprig said.

Polly gasped and started hopping. "Me three!"

However, Hop Pop interjected. "Come on, kids. Give Anne and Frank a chance to catch up with their friend."

Frank frowned at Hop Pop calling Sasha his friend but kept it to himself. "Don't worry. We'll find you guys later. Go have fun in there," he said, making Sasha and Anne smile.

Sprig groaned, but walked off with his family and Percy. "We'll try," he said, joining the rest of Wartwood as they entered the castle.

"Wow, you two certainly seem close to those three. What happened to, 'Ew, frogs are the worst'?" Sasha teasingly mocked.

"The Plantars are the ones that took us in after we saved Sprig from a red mantis," Frank said with a smirk. "They're actually pretty great once you get to know them."

Anne chuckled while secretly happy to see her friends getting along. "We've been living in their basement since we got here."

This shocked Sasha. "A basement? Yuck. Follow me. I'm gonna show you something crazy." She said, leading them into the castle.

As they walked through the tower halls, Frank could feel Sasha's eyes on him. Looking out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her looking at his scythe. "What?"

"So what's the deal with the scythe?" Sasha asked, pointing to it as it remained under his shield on his back. "Looks really important."

"If you must know, it's an ancient weapon called Hellcat's Claw. It was the weapon created by Amphibia's first Frog King." Frank said. "We found it when trying to read about a way to get home."

"Whoa, so you're, what? The new king of the frogs of something?" The blonde girl asked.

"No, nor do I plan to give it up to anyone. If any so-called heir to the throne wants it, they'll have to earn it," Frank said.

Sasha smiled and nodded at that. "I like your thinking, Ramirez."

As the two talked, Anne watched the two former friends interacting. Acting as if they were still friends. It made her smile, and she thought they might rebuild their friendship, too, just like she and Frank did.

Frank caught her smile. "What're you smiling about?"

"Oh, just happy to see the two of you being friends again," Anne said, poking his cheek.

"Not even close," Frank said, frowning. "She asked a question, and I answered her."

"Ah, don't worry about Mr. Grumpy. He wouldn't be as moody when he sees what I've got to show," Sasha said confidently. Soon they came up to a set of closed doors. Sasha then opened the door to her chamber. "This is where I've been living."

Frank and Anne's eyes widened, very impressed with her quarters. "Hoopa de boopa!/Yowza-wowza!"

The room was considerably larger than the entire first floor of the Plantar house. It was fitted with luxurious furniture, with a silk couch, a statue of the blonde girl popping a manual on a skateboard, and a large dining table with posters of teen singers from home behind it.

"Yo, Brunton," Sasha called out, snapping her fingers. This earned her a glare from Frank before a toad appeared.

Brunton spoke in a French accent. "Oui, Commander?"

"Bring us the usual." She said.

Before long, Brunton and several other toads returned with food plants. When they lifted the lids, Frank felt his mouth water as they looked at what they had brought. It was food! Real food from the human world that they perfected making. Every single food was something Frank, Anne, and Sasha loved to eat.

"Pizza? Tacos? Hotdogs?" Anne exclaimed as she and Franker were placed in chairs by Sasha. They then watched as the blonde girl dipped a fry into a cup of ketchup. "Whoa, you've got ketchup?!"

"Anne!" Frank grabbed her face and pressed the side of it against his. He then pointed to something on the table, and their eyes widened with stars in them.

"Cheeseburger..." They said together. They each grabbed one and quickly took a bite. Moaning in pleasure and delight as they savor the tease. When they swallowed, they looked at one another blankly.

"Frank."

"Yeah?"

"Has it just occurred to you we've been eating bugs for three months?"

"Every day, Anne. Every day."

The two best friends continued stuffing their faces with food when Brunton walked back over to Sasha. "Anything else, Commander?"

"Run the hot water, please. For the shower," replied Sasha.

Anne and Frank gasped. "Shower?!" The Thai girl asked.

"Hot water?!" The Hispanic boy asked.

Sasha was the first to take a shower, which Frank didn't find to be fair but didn't kick up a fuss about it. Then Anne went into the shower. Frank was the last to take his shower. As he washed up, the girls talked to each other in Sasha's room while drinking cups of hot cocoa and wearing pink shower robes.

"Wow, Sash. This is so surreal. I can't believe you're really here," Anne said, having curlers in her hair.

"I know, right?" Sasha asked, just as happy to be talking to her friend again. "I'm still surprised that you survived for so long with the convict, am I right?"

She took a sip of her cocoa and looked at Anne when she fell silent. The blonde was surprised to see Anne frown at her in disapproval, something she never did.

"What's with you?"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call him that," Anne said.

"Geez, lighten up, will you?" Sasha asked, frowning at her. "It's not like it's not true. And I don't just mean killing Tartarus if you know what I mean."

"Sasha, things aren't what you think," Anne said, looking down sadly. "Frank told me about what happened, how he wasn't the one who stole those shoes."

Sasha's eyes widened for a moment before scoffing. "Right, like that's true," she said dismissively.

"It's true, Sasha!" Anne insisted, only to have Sasha's hand be held up to stop her.

"Okay, Anne, that's enough. Like, seriously, who even told you that?" Sasha asked, chuckling with a smug smirk.

"I did." The two girls looked to see Frank. He was drying his hair and placing his hat back on his head. He glared a Sasha and walked over to the two of them, wearing the same robe they had on. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me that," he said, picking up his cocoa and drinking it.

For a moment, Sasha glared at him. Anne saw this and became nervous. Frank glanced up at the blonde girl and waited for her to respond. After all, he knew her too well and knew the blonde girl's entitlement wouldn't allow her to take him talking to her like that.

However, Sasha surprised him. "Fine, whatever," she said, sturring the cocoa into her mug with a spoon. "Though, you should be thanking me for what I'm doing for you."

Frank and Anne looked at her with confused looks. They glanced at one another and then back at Sasha. "What are you talking about?" Frank asked.

Sasha briefly glanced at the two before looking back at her cocoa. "Well, it was going to be brought up eventually. Might as well get it over with." She commented. Then, Sasha placed her mug down and turned to face her friends. "Frank, Anne, I haven't been entirely truthful with you."

"What?!" Anne shouted, her eyes nearly bulging out.

"Look, let me explain. Just promise not to freak out or anything," Sasha said, standing up and walking away.

"O...kay?" Frank said with unease, watching as Sasha walked over to a large map of the valley.

"So you've probably already noticed that the toads in this valley have one job: to rule over the frogs." Sasha turned around and held up her arms to present the map to Frank and Anne with a smug smirk. "No one is supposed to stand up to them. Much less kill them. Now, Grime was telling the truth when he said Tartarus was an asshole, but he was still a toad and a lieutenant of this tower. If his death doesn't go unpunished, it would be a sign of weakness."

"And let me guess, executing me would be revenge for his death?" Frank asked aggressively, grabbing his scythe from the table.

Sasha put up her hands in defense. "Whoa, whoa, chill. Put the scythe down, and just listen. Just trust me on this."

"Trust you? Why should I trust you?!" Frank yelled.

Anne quickly stood up and placed her hands on the arm holding the weapon. "Frank, wait!"

Seeing this, Sasha glared at Frank and said, "You don't have to trust me, Frank. I don't really care. But I can bet that once this is over, you'll thank me. And together, the three of us can finally find a way out of this crummy, gross world."

What she said, however, gave Anne a moment of pause, "Once... what's over?" She asked meekly, not liking where this conversation was turning.

"Oh, the rebellion," replied Sasha.

There was another pause as Frank lowered the Hellcat. Anne then chuckled. "The what now?"

"Seriously, you don't know about the rebellion?" Sasha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No. Look, just tell us what the hell is going on!" Frank exclaimed, growing impatient.

"I was getting to that. Killing Tartarus was bad, and it definitely ruffled Grime's feathers. However, I convinced him that you weren't the real threat and that if we wanted to make the frogs fall back in line, we'd have to go after someone else."

"The...real threat?" Anne asked, raising an eyebrow.

"All over the valley, frogs have been stepping out of line and rising up against their toad overloads," Sasha said, walking to a scroll and picking it up. "It turns out a certain frog has inspired these 'rebels.' You might just know him. Stood up to Tartarus when you killed him, but he even ran for mayor against the local toad."

She held up the scroll and unrolled it. Revealing it to be a poster of Hop Pop, masked in red and blue coloring with the word 'FREEDOM' printed over his head and the word 'FROG' under him.

Seeing the poster, Frank and Anne's eyes widened, shrieking together in blasphemy. "WHAT?!?

"Sasha, there's got to be a mistake!" Anne exclaimed.

"Yeah! Hop Pop's not a revolutionary!" Frank added in. "He's just a farm frog!"

In response, Sasha threw down a bunch of newspapers. Frank and Anne looked at them, and their eyes widened upon seeing they all had Hop Pop's image on the front pages. The headlines of each paper said it all to them; How an ordinary frog stood up to the oppression, how it was a call to arms, and that it was time for the toads to leave the valley and end the taxes. The election exposed how rigged the system was and how the toads manipulated it so that no matter what, a toad would always be mayor of any town.

"Doesn't matter. Word has traveled like wildfire, and we've got to make an example out of him," Sasha said before she took Frank and Anne over to a window. "So, the toads are just gonna feed him to that thing."

Frank's eyes widened when he looked outside and down at the courtyard. Grime and his soldiers struggled to control a giant Venus fly trap. "Hold her steady, boys!" The captain yelled to his men as the plant thrashed around and roared.

Sasha turned to Frank with a smile and explained further. "Okay, here's the thing. Originally, it was going to be you, Frank. But I struck a deal with Grime. I'd help him capture Hop Pop and crush the rebellion, you'd hand over Hellcat's Claw to the toads, and you'll be cleared of the charge of killing Tartarus. Then Grime and his army would help us find a way home. The whole banquet trick was my idea, obvi. Now we've got those slimy frogs right where we want them. Isn't this great? What do you say?"

She held out her hand to Frank.

For a moment, Frank scowled at her before looking at her hand. She kept it held up as if expecting him just to shake it. The Hispanic boy then looked at Hellcat's Claw. Obviously, with the scythe being a symbol to the frogs, the toads would want it. Handing it over would allow them to further oppress Wartwood and the other villages.

Frank scoffed and shook his head, smiling. "Wow, Sash. You...are truly something," he said, moving around her as Sasha looked at him in confusion. Anne looked worried as Frank continued, knowing that this wasn't going to go well. "You know, it's bad enough that you lied to me and manipulated Anne into agreeing to this party, but you planned to put an innocent frog to death? That's pretty low, even for you."

"Hey, whoa, how on, Ramirez," Sasha said, trying to cut in, but Frank wasn't having any of it.

"And to think that we'd go along with your plan? To betray the frog that took us into his home when we had nothing? Well, we're not going to do it! And we're leaving this tower, right here, right now!"

"I'm trying to save your life, Frank!" Sasha yelled angrily. "He's just a frog!"

"That frog's my friend! More than you are!" Frank shouted back.

There was a stunned glare present all over Sasha's face. Once again, Frank was showing her his backbone. Anne and Marcy had never once spoken to her like that, not once. Only Frank had. And Sasha hated it.

"Frank, think about what you're saying." She said in a venomous tone.

"Oh, I have. And I think this plan is—"

"AWESOME!" Anne suddenly yelled, having rushed over and clapped her hand over Frank's mouth. Frank could only make confused noises through his nostrils with his mouth forced closed. "Uh...why don't I...uh, have a talk, uh...and convince him? Yeah, I'll talk him into the plan, bestie!"

Anne laughed nervously as she pulled Frank back to the door. However, she accidentally bumped into Sasha's bust. "Whoa." She quickly stood the statue back up, but it was upside down. "Stay."

"Anne, what are you—" Frank was interrupted when Anne once again covered his mouth.

"BRB." The Thai girl said to the blonde girl. She opened the door and pulled him out with her as fast as a speeding bullet.

Watching them leave, Sasha took a sip of her cocoa. "So much for not freaking out."

Meanwhile, the frogs were having a grand old time at the banquet in the main dining hall. They chatted and dined on the delicious food served to them. Some, like Polly, tried talking to the toads that were in the dining hall with them.

"So, you experiment with other weapons, or are you just a spear guy?" She asked a giant toad with scars all over his body while holding a spear. However, he didn't respond to her.

This was something that Sprig caught onto quickly. As Mrs. Croaker drank multiple cups of juice, the little pink frog noticed how strange the toads seemed to be behaving. Instead of mingling with the residents of Wartwood, it was as if they were on guard. Concerned, he made his way over to his grandfather, who was looking at a plate of crab legs.

"Uh, hey, Hop Pop? Something's not right here," he said, nervously looking over his shoulder.

"Not right, yeah, sure. Here, Sprig, load up on crab legs," Hop Pop said dismissively, handing his grandson a plate before serving himself some legs. "These babies go fast."

"No, I mean it. Don't the toads seem a little... on edge?" Sprig asked, looking at the toads as they scanned the room. The toad standing at the door seemed exceptionally nervous and was standing still with his eyes wide and a drop of sweat on his face.

"Eh, they're a militarized culture, Sprig. I'm not surprised they don't know how to let loose," said the elder frog.

"Ah, forget this. I'm gonna go find Frank and Anne." Sprig told Hop Pop and walked off.

Hop Pop just continued to serve himself. "Good idea. They can carry more crab legs."

Sprig walked up to the door to leave. However, he found the nervous toad blocking his path. So he walked up to him and said, "Hey, pal, I'm just gonna go for a walk, get some fresh air—"

"No! Sorry!" the soldier said, surprising Sprig. "Uh, you frogs aren't allowed to leave this room."

Sprig narrowed his eyes and looked at him suspiciously. "We're not allowed to leave? Why's that?" He asked, leaning back on the toad's leg.

The toad soldier became increasingly nervous and looked around. "Uh... I've said too much. Please just return to the party and remain calm."

Backing up, Sprig smiled at him. "Remain calm. You got it, buddy."

Hearing this calmed the nervous toad down. "Whew, thanks, kid."

With that, Sprig spun around on his heel and walked away. He was seemingly happy with the smile on his face.

The pink frog climbed onto a table and looked back at the toad. Sprig gave a thumbs up, and the soldier returned it.

However, all hell broke loose when Sprig grabbed a crab leg and banged it against his plate. "Hey, everyone! This is a sham! We're not guests! We're prisoners!"

"Prisoners?! What?!" Mrs. Croaker yelled before everyone started to panic. Throwing food around and screaming in terror.

Seeing the situation unraveling, the toads quickly formed a line in front of the dining hall doors. Trying to prevent the frogs from leaving. When they saw this, however, the frogs panicked even more.

Wally even screamed. "I'm totally freaking out!"

Seeing that they had to get a grip on the situation, one of the toads came forward and held up his hands. "Calm down, you frogs, calm—" But he was pelted by fruits and vegetables. "Knock it off!"

"They're gonna eat us!" One frog said.

"Not on my watch." Mrs. Croaker said, grabbing the food on her plate and throwing it at the toads. "Take that. And that!"

"Ooh! I wanna riot too!" Polly said, sitting on Hop Pop's head.

She first grabbed a crab leg to throw, but Hop Pop stopped her. "Polly, don't throw that," he said, taking the leg away from her. But then he handed her a potato. "Throw this potato instead."

Unable to handle being imprisoned, Wally tried hopping over the wall of toads. However, he was quickly and easily caught by one of them. "Let me out! Let me out!" He cried, before being thrown onto the ground, hard.

"Wally!" Sprig exclaimed as he and Ivy rushed over to him. Everyone gasped at the toads' violent actions. These were the people who were supposed to be protecting them. That's why they paid their taxes. And yet they do this to one of them?

Angry at how her local kook was tried, Ivy emptied her plate, then threw it at one of the soldiers. Denting his helmet in the process.

"Ouchie!" He said.

Having had enough, the toad sergeant glared at the frog. "All right, that fucking does it!" He yelled, pulling out his mace.

Suddenly, the doors flew open, and a cloaked figure entered. "Enough!" She said in Sasha's tone. Silencing the room. The amphibians stared as the girl walked into the room and drew Frank's sword. "Guards, leave us. I'll get these frogs to fall in line."

The toad sergeant chuckled darkly and pointed at the frog. "You lot have made a huge mistake."

"Enjoy your time with Commander Sasha." His subordinate said, making the frog fearful. The toads laughed menacingly as they exited the dining hall.

However, as the doors slowly closed behind them, Frank suddenly jumped through the gap and rolled into the room.

"Frank!" Everyone gasped.

"Alright, we're clear, Anne." He said to what was thought to be Sasha.

"Anne?" The frogs asked, looking at the cloaked person in confusion.

As it turned out, it was Anne when she pulled back her hood. "Hey, guys."

"Anne!" Everyone cheered.

"Frank! Anne!" Sprig jumped over the crowd and landed in both the humans' arms. "Boy, are we glad to see you two. We've got a situation. We're not guests. We're—"

"Prisoners, we know," Anne said, setting her friend down. "And it's worse than that. They're planning to execute Hop Pop!"

All the frogs of Wartwood gasped and turned around to look at the elder frog. He had one hand holding up a plate full of crab legs, another plate with food stacked on it, and a piece of bread stuffed in his mouth. But when he heard that the toads would be executing him, he spat out the bread and dropped his plates.

"Say what?! But why?" He asked.

"Turns out Hop Pop's been inspiring rebellions all across the valley," Frank said, showing the frogs a copy of Hop Pop's resistance poster. "Now they want to execute you to end the uprisings."

Taking the poster, Hop Pop looked at himself. "Well, it's a good-looking poster....I'M GONNA DIE!"

"Not today, old man. We're getting you out of here," Frank said. "Including everyone!"

"So what do we do?" Ivy's mom asked.

"That...is an excellent question. Because I have no plan." Frank admitted to the townsfolk.

"Anyone got any ideas?" Anne asked the frogs.

Loggle popped his head up in the crowd. "I do...n't. I don't."

"Aw, come on!" Everyone groaned at Loggle.

But then Wally popped out from behind Anne's cloak. "I've got one! What say we plant these boomshrooms around the joint? Blow the place sky-high." He suggested, opening his vest to reveal he was carrying a dozen explosive mushrooms.

"What?! Dude! We're still inside the tower. We're not doing that," Frank said firmly.

Wally closed his vest. "Right. We're not doing it," he said, tilting his head at him and looking as though he was winking...with his closed eye.

"Seriously. No boomshrooms," Frank told him.

Wally snapped his fingers and pointed at Frank. "Loud and clear."

Placing a finger on her chin, Anne looked around. "Okay. Gotta figure a way out," she said.

"Well, there's only one door, and the toads are outside. There has to be some other wa—" Frank stopped when he smelt something foul under his nose. He looked down and saw it was coming from a manhole cover. "That's it! Anne, help me out!"

The Thai girl rushed over, and together, they grabbed the iron bars and pulled up. Opening the sewers to them and the frogs.

However, when Felicia caught a sniff of the stench, she cringed at it. "Oh, yuck, really?"

Polly hopped on top of her head and exclaimed. "Deal with it, lady. It's time to get dirty!" She yelled, jumping into the sewers first.

It didn't take long for the rest of the town to follow after the tadpole. Frank and Anne went in after her, and everyone else followed after. Together, they all ventured deep into the underground sewage system of Toad Tower, with the humans helping to guide the frogs through the system.

After descending a set of stairs, Frank and Anne ran together towards one of the extensively long and large tunnels. However, they quickly turned around and ran away when a giant worm came out and scared them away.

Forced to go into another tunnel, the frogs of Wartwood stuck together as they ventured deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of sewage and concrete. Fighting off rats and having all kinds of nastiness dropped on their heads.

However, what Frank and Anne didn't know was that at the back of the crowd, Wally was doing the one thing Frank didn't want him doing. With no one looking, he planted the boomshrooms along the walls of the sewer.

"Just a little gift for our generous hosts," he said, pressing the top of the mushroom. He then ran off, leaving the dozens of mushrooms armed and ready to explode.

Eventually, Frank and Anne found their exit in the form of a manhole with moonlight shining through the bars.

"Finally! I think we made it." Anne was the first to climb up. When she reached the top, Anne threw open the utility hole cover, climbed halfway out, and took a big breath of air. "Ah! Fresh air." She said as Frank climbed up with her.

"I'm glad that's over with," he said.

However, the moment was short-lived when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by toad soldiers. All of them pointed their weapons and the two of them.

Sasha, wearing her armor once again, walked between the toads. Looking at the two with a smug smile, she sighed. "Oh, you two. Very disappointing. Now let's move. Grime's waiting for us."

The humans and frogs were pulled out of the sewers by the toads. At spear point, they were forced back into the tower. Their toad oppressors then escorted them to the very top of the building, with was still under construction. There, Grimes waited for them with his men. He looked down at the hungry Venus flytrap and grinned menacingly. He fed it a cricket leg, which it very much enjoyed.

He chuckled until Sasha came up behind him. "Caught these prisoners trying to escape, Grime," she said, pulling Frank and Anne by their arms.

"Dude, are you crazy?" Anne asked as she and Frank yanked their arms away.

Sasha pocked her chest and shushed her. "I'm trying to get us home," she said, pocking Frank in the chest.

"Don't touch me, bitch!" He snapped. The two of them glared at one another until the toad captain spoke up.

"Very impressive, Sasha. Always playing Flipwart when everyone else is playing Bog Jump," he said. However, all this did was earn him looks of confusion from Frank, Sasha, and Anne. "Well, see, Flipwart and Bog Jump are games, but Flipwart, of course, is far more complicated and... I'm trying to say you're smart!"

"Oh. Thanks, Grime-sy," Sasha said, giving him a laugh that tried to make her sound cute. However, it was hard to think of her as such when she gave Frank a smug look. "What can I say? Just how I do. Up top." She held up her hand for a high-five.

"Ah... Um... Yes." Grime said awkwardly, high-fiving her.

"Sasha, please! There has to be another way!" Anne said, trying to reason with her best friend. However, she was stopped when two toads crossed their spears in front of her.

"There is no other way, creature! Our very way of life is at stake. I don't expect an outsider like you to understand," Grime told Anne. He then looked to Frank, who still had Hellcat's Claw on his back. "Now, hand over the Frog King's weapon."

"Over my dead body," Frank growled.

"Yeah, well, here's the thing. We're trying not to have it come to that," Grime said, putting his hands together and pointing his fingers at Frank. He then grinned. "However, we can do it over another person's dead body. Seize the traitor, Hopediah Plantar!"

Two toad guards proceed to take Hop Pop by the arms. "No! Get your hands off me!"

"Hey!" Sprig yelled as he and Polly tried to stop them. However, the toads merely pushed them aside.

"No!" Frank yelled, seeing them about to take away and execute his friend. And he wasn't having any of it!

Taking his shield off his back and slipping it on his left hand, Frank roared at rushed at the toads holding Anne back and bashed one of them away from her. Using the confusion to her advantage, and took Frank's sword back from the other guard.

Together, both humans rushed over Hop Pop. Anne slashed at one of the Toads, forcing him to block her attack. Frank attacked the other one with a head bash with his shield.

"Stay back!" Anne yelled. Frank grabbed the Frog King's scythe from his back and twirled it in his hand, prepared to fight.

The toads got together and surrounded the frogs. Aiming their spears at the two humans. They then started to close in on them. However, they then saw how the frogs of Wartwood were glaring at them. Sprig pulled out his slingshot, Hop Pop pulled out crab legs, and Polly pulled out her flail. Ready to fight for the old frog.

"Do your worst," Wally said, with Mrs. Croaker holding her cane like a sword.

"Oh, if you're gonna bring it, then bring it," Felicia said, picking up a rock. She may have been more ladylike than her daughter, but she was more than ready to serve the toads a can of whoop-ass.

"In retrospect, we really should have tied them up," one of the toads said.

"Yeah, you should have," Frank said. "Let's rock!"

"ENOUGH!" Sasha shouted, getting everyone's attention on her. The toads part away, allowing her to walk over to her best friend and former friend. "Frank, Anne, what are you doing? Don't you see that you're just prolonging the inevitable? Are you really gonna risk your life for these talking frogs?"

"As a matter of fact, we are!" Frank said, holding his scythe firmly.

"Come on, amigo. Do you really think this is going to change anything? Who you are?" Sasha asked, trying to act all sweet to him. "We don't even belong here. Don't you both wanna get back home? What about you, Anne? Don't you...wanna see your family?"

At that moment, Frank knew what she was doing. It was the same tactic Sasha used to get her way with his crush. "Anne, don't listen to her." He said.

Sasha held her hand. "Frank, please. The girls are taking here," she said, using the same line she's used when the blonde wanted him to butt out of her conversations with Anne and Marcy.

For a moment, Anne was hesitant. "Yeah, but—"

"Then I want you to remember whose friend you really are. And that means when I tell you to put the sword down, you put your sword down now. End. Of. Discussion." Sasha said with words that cut deeper into Anne than any sword.

The Thai girl's body tensed up as her sword felt heavy in her hands. Even after three months of being with Frank and learning what it means to stand up for herself, Anne was still too weak to stand up to Sasha.

Frank watched in horror from the side as Anne's instincts took over. She looked around, then sadly lowered her guard. Complying with Sasha's words. Even though she knew that doing so would condemn Hop Pop to death, Sasha conditioned her to obey her whenever she said those three words together, no matter what.

Anne couldn't even look at Frank. His eyes would have helped her resolve. But Anne just followed Sasha's orders. Just like she usually did.

"There we go. That's my girl." Sasha praised as if speaking to a dog. Both Frank and Sprig couldn't believe what they were seeing. The two looked upset at what was happening and wanted it to stop. "There. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Suddenly, a mud ball was launched at her and hit her face.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" She screamed.

The toads, Hop Pop, Polly, the townsfolk, and Anne, gasped from it. "Huh?" Frank said, looking up, then down to see Sprig standing in front of him and Anne.

"For someone who's Anne's best friend, you sure don't know her very well. Why she chose to stay friends with you, of all people, is beyond me! Frank is a better friend for her than you'll ever be!" Sprig declared. "She's brave! She's smart! And most of all, she's not gonna be pushed around by a bully like you!"

Anne smiled together at her froggy friend, touched by Sprig's words.

Sasha wiped the sludge off her face and glared at the frog. "Ugh. I think I've had enough of you, squeaky toy," she said, drawing her pink-colored sword.

The weapon had a basic design similar to the humans' Oakeshott typology European swords from Earth during the Middle Ages. Its most notable Amphibia stylized feature was the heron-shaped quillons, having the head and tail as the cross-guards and the body as the rain-guard.

Yelling out a battle fry, she swung her sword at Sprig, who braced himself for what was likely going to be his last moment on this word.

But it never came. Frank jumped in front of her at the last moment and bashed her sword away, stopping her in her tracks and making Sasha stumble back. He then slammed the edge of the edge into her chest, sending her back to the ground.

Groaning in pain, Sasha looked up at Frank in surprise. "Frank, what are you doing!?!"

"Did you really think I would let history repeat itself?" Frank asked, infuriated. "Did you really think I would let you continue to bully Anne and take away my friends?! I thought I used to know that kind of person you were, Sasha! But now, I don't even know who you are anymore. What I do know is that I'm going to do what I should have done three years ago. Fight for my friendship!"

Everyone gasped while Anne looked at her best friend with wide eyes filled with admiration.

While Sasha stared at the Hispanic boy in shock, she was soon snapped out of it when Grime started chuckling next to her. "What are you laughing at?" She snapped at him.

"Looks like you've got a rebellious seed of your own. You've given me plenty of advice. Now let me give you some," Grime said to the blonde girl. "Stamp this out. Make him yield. Fail, and he'll take Anne from you, and nothing will ever be the same."

Sasha didn't need a minute to think about her response. "Not gonna happen," she said, turning back to Frank and preparing to fight.

Grime grinned. "This should be fun," he said before calling out to all his toad soldiers. "My friends! Instead of a messy free-for-all, I have a splendid idea. How about we settle this..." he jumped onto a rock. "...the toad-fashioned way?"

With a snap of his fingers, the toad guards surround Frank and Sasha. They placed their shield in front of themselves and got into defensive stances.

"Trial by combat! If your champion wins, you all go home, no harm, no foul." Grime said, holding out his hand to Frank. He then gestured to Sasha. "But if our champion wins, well...." The captain turned his head and looked down at the venus flytrap. Chuckling as the monstrous plant roared down below. "Baby's hungry."

Realizing that this would be a fight to the death for both of her friends, Anne was torn. She wanted Frank to win, but she knew their fighting would cause both of them to be seriously injured. "Frank, you don't have to do this," she said, pleading with him. "Let me fight Sasha."

"Sorry, Anne, but I have to do this. If not for you, then for myself," he said, glaring at Sasha.

Frank and Sasha circled each other as the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Everyone watched the two former friends, waiting to see who would make the first move. As they walked around the ring of toads, Sasha dragged her pink heron sword around the ground, making sparks fly off it.

"I almost hate to do this, amigo," Sasha said smugly. They then stopped and faced each other.

"No, you're not," Frank said, getting into a fighting stance. "Not yet."

They glared at each other until Grime finally said, "Begin!"

Sasha took the chance to attack first. She grunted as she charged at Frank, pointing her incredibly sharp sword at him. Frank did as he always did. He bashed her sword away to the right, leaving her open for a slash of his scythe. But Sasha quickly spun around and blocked the attack.

The Hispanic boy then kicked her in the hip, knocking Sasha away. Growling in anger, Sasha kicked herself up before rushing him again. She slashed at Frank, but the boy side-stepped away. Just barely missing the tip of the sword before it cut his ear. Frank tried chopping down on her, but Sasha jumped away from him.

Standing where he was, Frank watched as Sasha twirled around in the air like the cheerleader she was before landing and attacking him again. Once again, the two engaged in melee combat.

However, Frank made her question what kind of training Tritonio gave him. It was as if he was possessed or allowing some force to take over and guide his movements. Sasha's movements were fast and powerful, letting her perform attack after attack in a matter of seconds. The blonde swung her blade at him with a brash yet contained rage. Putting her two months of training into motion. With a single sword, she came at Frank with a rhythm of chops and stabs. Each one had the potential to take Frank's life if she so pleased to do so.

Not one touched Frank.

With just his shield making what was in Sasha's mind the bare minimum, Frank blocked her attacks from every direction. He didn't need to step back from Sasha. He knew what her next move would be before she made it. It was difficult, especially for someone with his experience, but not impossible. Frank knew that the best way to use his shield wasn't to do crazy maneuvers—but to keep it held up. He could easily save his energy for his scythe while Sasha burnt away at hers.

There was a moment during the fight when Frank countered Sasha's sword with the top of Hellcat's Claw. They locked blades and glared hatefully at each other. "What's gotten into you, Frank? You were never like this back home!" Sasha yelled at him.

"Oh, shut up!" Frank yelled, parrying another swing before bashing her sword out of Sasha's hand. Sending it flying away from them.

Anne and the Plantars gasped, looking at Frank in amazement. Sasha gasped, too, but wasn't about to give up. She was determined to win.

Even if it meant that she would need to use more underhanded means of winning, Sasha would do it.

So, she reached behind her waist and pulled out a special dagger.

For a moment, Frank dropped his guard and grinned at Sasha. "How do you like them apples?" He asked.

Slash!

"Augh!" Frank yelled in pain when Sasha swiped her dagger up at his face. Cutting him on the right side of his mouth. As he bled, Sasha rushed for her sword. "Oh, come on, a dagger?"

As Sasha grabbed her heron sword, Frank threw the Hellcat at her. Sasha easily parried the scythe, sending it flying into the air as it spun like a propeller. However, like a boomerang, it turned around and fell back towards Frank.

The young boy blocked more of Sasha's attacks with his shield. But then he shot his arm at her. Sasha's reflexes made her bend backward to avoid the punch.

However, as she looked up, she watched as his hand opened to catch the scythe. Just inches from her face.

Sasha jumped back from Frank. Trying to buy herself some time, she then tried a new tactic. Grabbing her cape, she threw it at Frank. Blinding him as it draped over his head. Seeing her chance, Sasha got down and swiped his legs out from under him. Knocking Frank on his back.

With a swift swipe, she cut the straps of Frank's shield and kicked it away. Feeling his main line of defense being taken from him, Frank quickly pulled the cape off his face. Only to see Sasha's pointing the tip of her sword at his throat.

"They're just slimy little frogs, Frank! They don't MATTER!" Sasha yelled at him.

For a moment, Frank glared at her before scoffing. "Funny, I bet you told Anne the same thing. That I didn't matter," he said, grinning at her as she glared at him. "You think training makes you strong, but experience will always outrank everything! And I've had three months of survival to make me the best!"

Frank kicked her leg, making her yell in pain and stumble back. Frank then kicked himself up and ran at her with his bare feet. What followed next was the most intense moment Sasha ever felt, as she witnessed Frank change fighting forms on her.

The first overhand chop of Ramirez's scythe slid off Sasha's instinctive guard. The second bent the wrist that was holding the dagger. Forcing her to put it away just to have two hands on her sword. The third slash of Hellcat's Claw pushed Sasha's pink blade so far back inside her defense that it would have cut her shoulder if she wasn't wearing the guard. And what's worse was that Sasha was forced to give ground.

Frank never let up. His attacks were mechanically inexorable and carried with them an impossibly powerful force. For each step he took, Frank attempted a blow toward Sasha, and she couldn't do anything to stop him. For all her training, Frank was a force of nature. Sasha's breaths went short and hard as she found the boy she abandoned staying right on top of her. Sasha was no longer trying to block Frank's strikes. All she could do was guide them away from her.

Sasha hated it, but she couldn't meet Ramirez strength-to-strength. He was too strong to push back now. It made her furious. She rose through the ranks in the toad army, and yet she was being beaten by someone who was supposed to be beneath her.

In an act of rage, she tried attacking him. But Frank grabbed her arm with one hand. Dropping the scythe, he grabbed her arm with the other and used all his strength to throw her over his shoulder and throw her a few feet away. Making her body bounce off the ground until coming to a stop. Just a foot away from the ring of toads.

"Just give up, Sasha! You can't beat me!" Frank shouted. However, he felt himself beginning to lose focus as he panted and sweated. He looked around his body, wondering if she had got him. Yet saw nothing.

Seeing his confusion, Sasha smirked. Finally, she had the upper hand. "What's the matter, Ramirez? Is it the poison?" She asked.

This comment drew gasps from the frogs and Anne. Frank opened one of his eyes to look at her in confusion. Standing up, Sasha pulled out her dagger again.

"I dossed this knife with a special poison that disoriented my opponents." She said smugly, sheathing her dagger. "Don't worry. It's non-toxic. Just give it a minute, and you'll be all good. But you're not too weak to fight."

Frank growled, furious at Sasha for her underhanded tactic.

"Frank!" Anne yelled to him, worried for his safety.

"Yeah, maybe I am feeling weak, but then how pathetic are you? That you can't beat me at my worse?!" Frank asked, picking up his scythe.

Seeing that he wasn't doing what she wanted him to do again, Sasha yelled and charged again. Once again, Frank blocked and parried all her attacks; even with her poison clouding his mind, he still had the will to keep fighting.

Frank bashed her sword away from his direction. He then grabbed the handle of the scythe at both ends, looped it around Sasha's back, and delivered his knee into her gut.

"GAH!" Sasha felt the air getting knocked out of her, leaving her in a state of shock. Frank then kicked her in the chest and knocked her down on her back.

Stopping to catch his breath, Frank panted as he glared at Sasha. "Why'd you do it, Sasha? Why would you make Anne break her friendship with me?" He asked her as Sasha clambered back up to her two feet. "I looked up to you! We all did!"

"That's not my problem!" Sasha screamed at him.

"You were my best friend!"

Sasha could feel an enormous surge of emotion in her chest. Ultimately, she finally snapped and allowed her true self to be seen. "You want to know why? Fine! Because you just couldn't do what I wanted you to do. When you started standing up to me, I couldn't take it. You were the only one who didn't do as I said. It affected our friend unit."

This revelation shocked Anne. All this time, she thought that Sasha only did it because it was for the good of the friend group. No, she tried convincing herself that Sasha's intentions were good. But to hear it from the blonde's mouth made her heart stop. "What?"

As for Frank, he looked at Sasha with shock and disgust. "That's it? You did it because you viewed me as a threat to your rule? Is that it?! How pathetic are you, Waybright?" He shouted at her. But then he pointed Hellcat's Claw at her. "But in the end, you failed. You tried to turn Anne into your lapdog, but I helped her to be her best person!"

"And what better would she be with you?" Sasha shot back. "A violent criminal no one wants to be with?"

"Anne wanted to be with me. Together, we formed a new friendship, stronger than the first!" Frank shouted, looking back at Anne with a bright smile. She smiled back and nodded.

Seeing how they looked at each other only made Sasha's fury grow. She felt genuine hatred for the boy for how he was winning her best friend over, just like he did back then. "You always thought you were better than me. That I could never be as good a friend to Anne as you."

"I am better than you." Frank declared, glaring at Sasha.

When she snapped her head up at him, Frank could have sworn that Sasha's eyes flickered pink. But that's not something that he would remember clearly.

What Sasha would say next would haunt Frank.

"THEN WHY WAS IT SO EASY FOR ME TO FRAME YOU?!"

Sasha gasped and quickly covered her mouth. However, it was too late. The damage was already done. The secret was out, and she could never take it back. All she could do was watch as Frank's eyes widened as he gasped when he heard those words come out of her mouth. He looked at her in disbelief, not wanting to believe what she was telling him.

Yet, it was the truth. It was written all over the blonde's blue eyes.

Sasha was the one that stole those shoes.

On that fateful night, Sasha walked into the store wearing her school jacket and a blue hat. This was it. She's planned this for a week, and now it was time to put her plan into action.

Walking over to the store's shoe section, Sasha stopped in front of a specific pair of really nice-looking white sneakers. They were the latest and hottest shoes on the market. She's asked both of her parents to get them for her, but they said no.

However, Sasha wasn't one to take no for an answer.

Making sure she wasn't being watched and that the cameras were facing away from her. After checking to ensure they were her size, she pulled out a pair of pliers and wire cutters.

The moment she ran out of the store with the shoes, the alarm inside went off. Sasha ran as fast as she could. As she heard police cars sirens, Sasha started to panic. She needed a plan, and she needed one quickly.

The blonde stopped in the middle of a bridge over an underpass, looking around. Sasha knew she had to get rid of the shoes before the police came around.

Looking over the edge and down at the underpass road, Sasha saw a bush just off to the side of the sidewalk. A new plan formed in her head. She would throw the shoes down towards the brush and then run down and collect them. Afterward, she'd go through the neighborhood to return to her mom's house.

And so, Sasha threw the shoes over the bridge. But just as she thought everything was going according to plan, Frank Ramirez, the boy she once called a friend, stepped in front of the shoes' path. Getting hit in the head.

Sasha gasped when she saw the shoes hit the boy, and her eyes widened when she saw it was Frank. It's been two years since she's last seen him, yet he still looks the same. Only more grown up. However, Sasha didn't have time to think about it. Realizing that he now had the shoes, Sasha rushed away. But at that moment, Frank only saw her face in the dim light on the bridge when he looked up. However, the Hispanic boy didn't think much of it.

The blonde girl rushed down the bridge's stairs and was about to run to Frank to get her shoes back. But just before she could descend the stairs....

It happened.

Making it down the stairs, Sasha watched in shock as Frank was confronted by the businessman, framed, and put into the back of the police car. Witnessing everyone with her very eyes. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her plans to steal the shoes were ruined, and Frank was now being arrested for her crime.

But what could she do? Run over and tell the truth? No, that wouldn't do. Besides, if Frank weren't there in the first place, he wouldn't have been in this situation, right? This was his fault, right? At least, that was what she tried telling herself.

Realizing there was nothing to do, Sasha's expression turned cold as she turned around and walked away. Disappearing into the shadows.

Hearing what her best friend had just confessed, Anne gasped in shock.

Frank felt a tear run down his cheek as his lips trembled. "It was you...."

"Frank..." Sasha pulled her hand away from her mouth and reached out to him.

"How could you?!" Sasha gasped when Anne shouted at her. The Thai girl glared at her so-called best friend with anger as she was held back by two toads. "How could you ruin his life, Sasha?!"

"W-Wait, Anne, it's not what you think!" Sasha said. For the first time since reuniting with her friends, she looked genuinely scared and remorseful, if some believed it.

Lowing his head down so that his hat covered his eyes, Frank started marching towards Sasha. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he got closer to her.

Seeing him coming towards her, Sash tried pleading with him. "Frank, what happened was an accident. I swear! If you just let me explain...."

"Explain what? That it was you all this time?" Frank asked, his voice shaking. "You're responsible for everything that happened that night. You're the one that the fat fuck was looking for. You turned my family against me. You threw me under the bus for your crime. I rotted in juvenile detention for ten months because of you! It was you who ruined my life!"

Frank's eyes flickered a glowing red as he raised his scythe in the air to chop her head off.

"YOU'RE THE ONE TO BLAME!"

Suddenly, he was hit in the back with three arrows.

Frank yelled in shock and pain as he let go of Hellcat's Claw. He fell on his arms and knees, causing his hat to drop off his head.

"FRANK!" Anne and Sasha screamed before the Thai girl rushed past the toads and ran over to Frank. The boy was groaning in pain from the arrow in his back. Gritting his teeth as he held a yell of agony.

Sasha wiped her head towards Grime, who was holding a bow. "What the hell, Grime?!" She yelled at him.

"Sorry, Sasha, but we can't afford to waste any more time," the captain of the toads said to his commander. He then shot out his tongue and used it to snatch Hop Pop from the crowd.

"Hop Pop!" His grandkids cried out, trying to grab him. But Grime pulled him away from them before they could.

Retracting his tongue back into his mouth, Grime grabbed the old frog by his shirt and dangled him over the tower's edge. "Pretty cool, right?"

Sasha was surprised by Grime's actions. However, she accepted them as things that needed to be done. She turned to Frank and Anne, looking at the boy as he grunted in pain. Frowning at him, the blonde girl turned away. "You...you'll thank me later."

"Sasha, stop! You can't let him do this!" Anne shouted, standing up and grabbing Sasha's wrist.

"Let me go, Anne."

"No, I'm not letting you do this!" Anne declared. "This isn't who you are!"

"Anne, just do what I tell you!"

"Or what?! You'll dump me too? What happened to you? What happened to the girl who would stand up to bullies? Because I don't see her!"

SLAP!

Everything went silent for Frank at that moment when he heard that slap. He looked up and watched as Anne's head was forced to the right, as her body fell to the ground. All while Sasha glared down at her.

He watched as Anne sat on her knees and held her cheek. Looking up at Sasha with wide eyes filled with shock.

Sasha glared at her for a moment, until the reality of what she had done hit her. The twisted knot that formed in her stomach when she revealed herself as the shoe thief tightened until it felt like her stomach was cut off. She looked at her hand in horror and then looked back at Anne.

"That...I didn't mean..."

At that moment, watching Anne getting hurt by Sasha caused something in Frank to snap. He closed his eyes to blink. But when he opened them again, they had changed.

Now his eyes were glowing bright red.

He planted his foot on the ground to stand up...and the ground under him cracked! Getting the attention of everyone. With piercing, glowing red eyes glaring at Sasha, Frank stood up. A red aura appeared around him from the floor, covering his entire body.

"What's going on?!" Hop Pop shouted.

"I don't know! Maybe it's a human thing!" Grime exclaimed.

They watched as Frank's hair stood up slightly and turned the same glowing red color as his eyes. Then his scars started to glow all over his body. They turned into marks that grew and spread. The arrows in his back were pushed out and fell to the floor. The poison Sasha used bled out of the cut she made on his lip.

Standing up to his full height, Frank continued to glare at Sasha. Anne stared at him with eyes filled with shock.

She said, "Definitely not a human thing."

"Sasha!" Frank barked, tears mixing with his words. "You ruined my life and hurt Anne! Now I'm going to watch...you...DIE!"

With his new form, Frank disappeared from where he was standing, moving so fast that it was hard to see him.

Sasha looked around to see where he had gone. Only for Frank to appear in front of her and punch her in the stomach with incredible force.

BASH!

The blonde felt herself becoming paralyzed from the intense pain that shot throughout her body. She coughed up blood, but Frank didn't let up. He unleashed a barrage of punches into Sasha's gut. Each hit made her body go up off her feet. He then flew up to her level and kicked her in the face.

Everyone gasped in shock and awe as Sasha's body flew over the tower's edge and across the sky. But Frank wasn't done with her. Disappearing and reappearing in the path she was going, the superpowered Hispanic boy grabbed her leg. Sasha was utterly helpless as she was thrown back toward the top of the tower. Her body bounced around the stone floor, making her grunt and shout in pain until she came to a stop.

Grime looked at the blonde girl in utter shock, leaving himself open for Frank to rocket toward him. In a blur of red light, Frank snatched the old frog away from his grip and landed just in front of the crowd of frogs. Knocking the toads of the ring out of the way.

They all looked at him and his new form in bewilderment as he set Hop Pop down.

"Get him!" Grime ordered his troops.

The toad soldiers quickly charged at Frank. However, in the blink of an eye, Frank was standing on the other side of the tower. Behind him, Grime's toad troops were knocked off their feet, and their armor was smashed and broken. The toads landed on the floor, groaning in pain.

"Oh, shit..." Grime whimpered before Frank rocketed at him and kicked him in the face, sending him flying off the rock he was standing on and off the side of the tower.

Seeing her mentor being easily defeated by the boy she framed, Sasha grunted in pain as she grabbed her sword and tried to stand up. Every muscle in her body screamed for her to stop, as Frank had beaten her badly.

But just as she managed to stand on her own two feet, Frank appeared in front of her in a blur. Sasha screamed and backed up from him. Pulling out her dagger.

Frank just stood there for a moment with his eyes closed and tears streaming down his face. However, the same power that was flowing through him summoned his weapon to him. With the blade glowing as red as the moon behind the Hispanic boy, Hellcat's Claw floated up slowly to Frank's right. Opening his eyes to glare at Sasha, Frank reached out his right arm and grabbed the handle with his right hand.

"RRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Frank charged at Sasha.

The blonde girl quickly tried to block with both her sword and her dagger. However, Frank's overpowering upward swing knocked both weapons out of her hands and into the air. The scythe left a large gash on the right side of her face, which was now bleeding.

Sasha had been knocked to the ground again and was now at the mercy of Frank. Her only hope for salvation was the shield she had cut from his arm sitting next to her. Sasha quickly grabbed it and held it up just before Frank chopped down on it. The shield protected her, but she quickly noticed a dent had formed.

Frank was far from done. With unbridled rage and everyone watching with fearful expressions, the framed boy started going ballistic on the shield. He hacked and chopped down at the shield with all his new strength. Sasha felt her arms beginning to buckle under the force of the strikes, and the shield began to bend and break. But she knew she couldn't stop. Even with the floor under her cracking and breaking, Sasha knew that letting up would be death.

Finally, the barrage of strikes ended when Frank shattered the shield into pieces with one more blow.

Ultimately at his mercy, Frank reached down and grabbed Sasha by her neck. Gritting his teeth with fury, he lifted her into the air with his left hand. Too weak to break free, Sasha could only place one hand on his wrist to try and get him to loosen his grip.

"Frank...please..." Sasha pleaded.

Frank glared at her with all the hatred he felt for her as he panted like a wild animal. Scythe in hand, ready to end her life.

"Frank, stop!" Frank snapped his head to the side to see Anne standing a few feet away. Looking at him with pleading eyes while still having a red mark on her cheek.

"STAY OUT OF THIS! All of you! This is my fight!" Frank yelled.

"You can't kill her, Frank," Anne said, slowly walking up to him.

"Why not!? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't finish this bitch off once and for all!?"

"Because...she's still our friend."

Frank looked at her like she was crazy. "What? You still want to be friends with this useless piece of shit?! After all the things she's done! She needs to pay!"

"At what cost?" Anne asked, looking at him sadly. "I know you're angry, Frank. I feel that same anger in many ways, but Sasha isn't just my friend. She was yours too."

"Wrong! She burnt that bridge a long time ago!" Frank yelled, glaring up at the blonde girl.

"I know, but you can't kill her, Frank. What will you say to her parents when we go home? That you killed her in cold blood? You were framed for what she did, but you'll be locked away from murder!" Anne pleaded with her best friend.

"Stop it, Anne! I have to do this!" Frank yelled. "This is the only way!"

However, he gasped when he felt soft hands gently grasping his arm. He turned his glowing red eyes at Anne, who caressed his right cheek. Using her thumb to wipe away the tears, she looked at him with her eyes welling up.

"No, it's not." She said to him softly. "Don't do it, Frank."

"But..."

Anne stopped him by lightly placing her finger on his lips. "Frank, this is about more than just punishing Sasha. You're my best friend. If you kill her, I...I lose you. And I don't think I'll ever get you back. I lost you before, and I don't ever want to again. We love you, Frank," Anne said, gesturing to the people of Wartwood. The frogs that Frank promised to be the protector of. They all looked at him with worried, sad, and pleading eyes. The same eyes Anne had as she looked at Frank. "Be who you are. Don't become the monster people think you are."

More tears flowed down Frank's face as he stared at her. All the hatred he felt at that moment was replaced by remorse and grief. Looking at Sasha, who looked at him beggingly with tears in her eyes, Frank then glanced at Hellcat's Claw. The same weapon that was meant to be a symbol of unity for Amphibia.

What was he doing? Yes, he's killed in the past, but this was different. He only did it when there was no other option. To survive and protect Anne.

But this wasn't like those moments.

Sasha was already beaten. She wasn't a threat anymore.

With a remorseful expression, Frank dropped the scythe on the ground. The metal blade clattered on the stone floor.

Then, he dropped Sasha. The blonde girl grunted as she fell to her knees. Panting for breath, she looked up at him with shock. For a moment, Frank adverted his eye from her. Almost as if he was ashamed to look at Sasha for what he did. But when he did direct his gaze back at her, he glared.

"You were my friend once, Sasha. That's the only reason you're still alive."

A second later, the blazing aura around his body faded away. The mysterious power that he'd called upon was disappearing. His hair and eyes returned to normal, and his scar marking disappeared. The scars he had before remained. Staggering back from Sasha and Anne, Frank lost focus and collapsed on his back.

"Frank!" Anne quickly knelt next to him. The Plantar ran over to join her too.

Frank groaned as he opened his eyes. "I'm okay, guys...I'm okay."

Watching her best friend and the slimy frog family gathering around Frank, Sasha stared at the boy and Anne with wide eyes. Too stunned to utter words after what just happened.

Noticing a glint of metal out of the corner of her eyes, Sasha saw Hellcat's Claw sitting on the ground at arm's reach. Thinking that she still had a chance to make things go the way she wanted them to, Sasha reached a shaking hand out towards the scythe.

However, Anne stood up and picked the scythe off the ground before she could get to it.

"A-Anne?" Sasha said in disbelief. "W-What are you...?"

"Something I should've done a long time ago—what Frank would have wanted me to do," Anne said harshly. She was looking at Sasha in a whole new light. The person she'd been so scared to stand up to was now looking at her in defeated shock. "I promised Frank I would prove myself worthy of being his friend again. To become someone worthy of being with. And I'm keeping that promise. That means from this day forth, I'm standing up to you! You'll never push me around anymore."

Once again, Sasha was shocked into silence.

Anne then looked at the toads. Those who were still conscious were looking at her with shock. "And that goes for the rest of you!" She declared, raising Hellcat's Call. "From this moment on, you're not allowed to come around Wartwood ever again! We're not a part of the rebellion, but we wouldn't let you push us around anymore!"

With that, the frogs of the town cheered and clapped. This was a moment they never thought they'd see. The toads were finally going to leave their village in peace. And they didn't need their protection. With Frank and Anne around, no force could threaten them.

Giving one last glare at Sasha, Anne turned around and offered Frank a hand. He smiled, proud of her, and took it. Anne pulled him to his bare feet. Together with the Plantars, they started walking back to the crowd.

However, just then, disaster struck!

Out of nowhere, the entire tower began to shake. "What the hell?!" Frank exclaimed as the floor under him shifted and trembled.

Down in the tunnels of the sewers, the boomshrooms were finally going off and exploding. Completely destroying the underground system, as the blue fire shot out of all the maintenance holes of the tower. Setting off a chain reaction that set off multiple explosions all over the castle.

"What's going on!?" Anne screamed.

Frank turned to Wally. "Wally, what did you do?!"

"What? I thought we agreed." Wally said.

"You planted the boomshrooms?!" Frank yelled incredulously. "I thought I told you not to!"

"I thought you said that in the opposite way!" Wally exclaimed. Confused, he pointed to his closed eye. "Wait, could you not tell I was winking?"

"NO!"

"Ah, curse you, one eye!"

One by one, brick by brick, the entire tower started to fall apart. Seeing this, the crowd of frogs gasped and backed away from the edge as they screamed in terror. Even the toads began to panic as the floor beneath them gave way.

"We gotta get out of here! Move, move, move!" One of them yelled as they all rushed for the exit. Some of them weren't so lucky and fell to their deaths. Even the flytrap became a victim of Wally's antics. The fearsome monster plant was crushed under falling debris, killing it on impact.

Seeing how the toads got out, Hop Pop and Sprig quickly rushed to the trap door and held it open. "Everyone! Come on, get off the roof, quick!" Yelled the old frog, waving to everyone to go down the stairs.

As the new structure of the tower crumbled away, the ground below Frank, Anne, and Sasha began to slant slightly.

That's when the blonde noticed the floor behind her falling apart. And it was coming closer to her.

Sasha gasped and turned back to her friend. "Anne!" She said before screaming when the ledge beneath her gave way.

Seeing her friend fall off the tower, Anne gasped and dropped Hellcat's Claw. "Sasha!" She screamed, diving to Sasha. Catching her hand before it was too late while lying on her stomach. "Gotcha."

"Anne!" Sprig yelled.

"I've got her!" Frank told his froggy best friend, grabbing Hellcat's Claw. "You help the others!"

Sprig looked like he wanted to protest, but the assured look on Frank's face told him that it would be okay. So, as the last resident of his hometown ran down the stairs, the little pink frog joined his grandfather and rushed down behind the fleeing crowd of people.

At the same time, Anne tried pulling Sasha up. "I've got you, Sash. You're gonna be okay—" However, Anne gasped and screamed as she felt her body starting to slide off the ledge. She would have fallen with Sasha...

...if it wasn't for Frank coming to the rescue. He grabbed Anne's ankle with one hand and stabbed the scythe into the floor.

"Don't worry. I got you!" Frank yelled, holding onto the weapon and his crush's leg as tight as he could. Refusing to let her fall. "Hold tight, Sasha!"

Sasha stared up at Frank in total bewilderment. It wasn't even a second ago that he wanted to kill her for framing him. In her mind, falling to her death seemed fitting for what she did to him. Yet the Hispanic boy was helping Anne try and save the blonde girl in her moment of peril. Risking his life for hers.

"Hey, hey. Look at me, look at me. Everything's gonna be totally fine. Just hang on." Anne yelled down to Sasha, trying to give her the same confidence that she was showing, even though Anne was scared too.

Grunting from exhaustion and the strain placed on his already weakened muscles, Frank found within him the will to not give up. Wrestling with his tired body, Frank started pulling Anne up.

"I got you, Anne. No matter what, I'm never letting you go!" However, his eyes widened in horror when he saw the ledge starting to crack. Remembering how the ridge from the waterfall broke off when they woke up in Amphibia, Frank realized that what happened was about to repeat itself. "Oh, not again..."

"Frank! Use that anime power! Go Super-Saiyan!" Anne yelled up to him.

"I...I-I can't! I don't know how!" Frank shouted. All he could do was continue to try and pull Anne and Sasha back up. However, the cracks in the ledge just grew bigger and bigger.

Seeing the ledge was about to give way, Sasha looked down in sorrow. She didn't deserve to be saved. All Sasha wanted was what was best for her friend, and in the end, the blonde girl completely burnt the bridges she made with them.

Frank was right; she did need to pay for her crimes. And so, she made a decision.

"Hey, Anne," Sasha said, getting Anne to open her eyes to look at her. "Maybe you're better off without me. Frank..."

Frank looked down at her, and his eyes widened in shock. Sasha's eyes teared up.

"I...I'm sorry, for everything."

And just like that, Sasha gave up. She let go of Anne's hand and allowed herself to plummet to her death.

"NOOOOOO!"

"SASHA!"

The two yelled together as they watched Sasha fall from the tower, hopeless to save her.

However, death would not come for her just yet.

[music stops]

"Hyah!" Having somehow survived his fall, Grime jumped out of nowhere and grabbed her unconscious body in midair. The shock of the fall had most likely knocked her out.

Wrapping one arm around her, the toad pulled out his short sword and dug it into the wall of the crumbling tower. Allowing himself and Sasha to slide down the building towards the courtyard.

As the tower fell apart all around the toads and frogs, the amphibians threw open the doors and made a break for safety. However, some were slower than others.

"Come on, Mrs. Croaker!" Sprig exclaimed worriedly, staying by the old frog's side as she walked at a snail's pace. And not the giant snail speed.

"Curse these old legs." Mrs. Croaker said, panting. "Save yourself—"

Before she could finish, both Mrs. Croaker and Sprig were grabbed by Mayor Toadstool. For the second time tonight, the usually selfish mayor rescued his townsfolk. He threw the two frogs on his back with everyone he'd saved, including Sprig's family, the Sundews, Loggle, Wally, and Toadie.

"Hi, Mrs. Croaker. Hi, Sprig." Wally greeted them.

"Hey, Wally!" Sprig greeted back. He then looked down at the toad carrying them in shock. "Mayor Toadstool?"

"Uh-huh. If y'all die, who'll I embezzle money from? Huh?" Mayor Toadstool said.

"Shut up and run!" Mrs. Croaker yelled, pointing her cane ahead toward the other side of the bridge.

Soon, the tower stopped shaking, and the debris stopped falling. The toads that survived made it to safety. Everyone from Wartwood evacuated from the castle just in time and made their way home.

Almost everyone.

At the top of the tower, Frank picked up his head from the floor and placed it on his head. Hearing a ripping sound, the Hispanic boy looked up to see the toad banner ripping itself off the pole from the wind. Watching it fly away, Frank couldn't help but frown.

If killing Tartarus didn't lead to more conflict and uprising in the valley, he was more than confident this would cause tensions to rise on a level he could never have foreseen.

But right now, he wasn't concerned with that.

Turning back to the ledge, Frank saw Anne looking down while sitting on her knees. Looking at her mournfully, Frank walked over to her. Following her gaze, he saw Captain Grime carrying Sasha's body to whatever was left of his once-great army.

The toad captain then stopped and looked back up at the two humans.

While Anne looked in despair, Frank tried to maintain a stern glare. However, he couldn't, and his glare turned into a concerned frown. Seeing Sasha, who used to be one of his closest friends, broken and scarred because of him made Frank's chest tight. No matter how much he disliked Sasha or what she did to him, he didn't want things to go like this. He didn't want them to become enemies.

However, because of her actions, that was the path they while be taking.

Grime looked at the girl in his arms before glaring back at Frank, growling in anger. Then the toad captain turned his back on the tower and wandered into the wilderness. His toads somberly followed him. Disappearing into the shadows.

Seeing them leave, Anne stood up. Standing beside each other with the wind blowing through their hair, Frank and Anne glanced at one another. Without saying a word, the best friends then hugged. Frank held her as tight as he could without hurting her as Anne broke down. Sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder.

Frank and Anne had found Sasha, but they may have just lost her, just as she had just lost them. There was no sense of victory, only defeat. No sense of pride, only shame.

As dawn broke over the horizon, so did Sasha's friendship with Frank and Anne.

Now, they're all they've got.

[music stops]

Only an hour ago, the frogs returned to Wartwood using the toad's old party barge. Mrs. Croaker drove them all back home herself. Every frog on that barge was exhausted beyond belief. Two parties in one night took a lot out of the simple people. But to have a run for their lives? They counted themselves lucky to be alive.

While everyone returned home for some much-needed rest, one of the residents ventured off into the wilds to be alone.

The sun hung over the beautiful pond the humans had their first dance. All was peaceful for Frank as he allowed himself to float quietly in the water. Enjoying the soothing feeling of the water caressing his body and easing the muscle and bones of his scarred body. He is wearing only his pants, leaving himself bare-chested.

Looking up at the dragonflies flying off in the sky and the clouds passing overhead, he sighed. He thought that the water would clear his mind. Yet all it did was give himself time to think about what transpired. It certainly didn't help his already conflicted mind.

When he felt his body reach the other end of the pond, Frank slowly stood up and walked out of the water. Making his way over to his shirt hanging on a branch, he grabbed his white t-shirt, which had become stained and darkened from sweat and dirt.

As he looked it over, Frank saw how torn up it was from his adventures. He slipped it on, then noticed the state of his grandfather's m65 field jacket. The poor thing was in a worse state than Frank thought. With rips and tears all over it. How he didn't notice it before was a mystery. However, Frank knew that until he got it fixed, he'll have to wear something else.

"You weren't really going to kill her, right?" Frank looked up to see Anne standing a few feet away from him.

"No. We both know what I would have done." Frank looked down in shame. He then smiled sadly. "But you helped me find my way back. I can't thank you enough, Anne...and I'm sorry."

Anne tried her best to smile. "It's okay. I know that what Sasha did was bad, and she hurt you. More than anyone ever could." She said, walking over to the framed boy. Taking off her one shoe and both shoes, she sat down on the pond's edge and plunged her feet into the cool water. "I just...wonder what will happen."

Frank understood what she meant. With his jacket in hand, he walked over and sat beside her. "For what she did to me, I can't forgive her. I don't know if I ever will," he said somberly, earning him a grim and heartbroken expression from Anne. However, mixed in with those emotions, the Thai girl understood why. "But what about you? Are...you okay? With everything that happened."

"I...I don't know," Anne said, scratching her cheek where Sasha slapped her. "It was as if I was...awakened to the kind person she became. Yet, after what she did, I can't...I'm sorry, Frank. I want to believe there's still a part of the old Sasha left inside her. I still want to...."

Frank placed a hand on her shoulder. "I gave you a second chance at friendship. If you're thinking of giving Sasha one, I won't stop you," he said.

The two best friends sat silently together as they stared at the pond. Enjoying being in each other's presence. After a moment, Anne turned to Frank and thought for a moment.

As Frank stared out at the glistening water, he felt something being placed around his torso. He looked down and was shocked to see it was Anne's Frog of the Year sash.

"Anne, this is yours," Frank said, confused. "You're Wartwood's Frog of the Year."

"Yeah..." Anne then looked down at Frank's hand and gently grabbed ahold of it. She looked at him with a bright blush on her face. "...but you're my Frog of the Year."

Frank blushed brightly when Anne called him that. The two stared at one another for a moment, blushing and smiling.

However, their moment alone together was interrupted when the Plantars walked over. "Same as us," Hop Pop said as he and his grandkids sat on both sides of the two humans. "I know that was hard for you, Frank. For the both of you. But, thank you, you know, for everything.

Frank sighed and smiled at the old frog and Polly as he held her. "Hop Pop, you four are my family. I'd never let anyone hurt you," he said, looking to Anne and Sprig.

Anne held Frank's hand as she rested her head on his shoulder, "Nor would I."

There was a moment of silence between the five of them until Sprig spoke up. "So, you guys wanna get breakfast and come up with a plan to get Frank and Anne home?"

"Oh, my frog! I almost forgot!" Hop Pop exclaimed, excited to tell his grandkids the news he had. "I have a plan! The moment the snow melts and the mountain pass opens, we'll finally have the road open to travel to Newtopia!"

Polly and Sprig gasped with excitement. "No way!" Yelled the tadpole.

"We're going to Newtopia?" Sprig exclaimed with big, eager eyes.

"What's in Newtopia?" Anne asked.

When she asked the question, Hop Pop pulled out a map of Amphibia and unrolled it. He handed the map to Frank and Anne, and the two kids held it open by the sides. The elderly frog then pointed to what appeared to be a castle in the middle of the lilypad-shaped continent.

"It's the beating heart of Amphibia. A bustling metropolis that's full of ancient knowledge, run by the wisest of newts. If anyone can help you get home, it's them!"Hop Pop explained as he held up a drawing of a newt dressed like a wizard.

Sprig and Polly looked closely at the drawing with sparking eyes. "So mystical," said the little pink frog.

Frank looked at Newtopia with wide eyes, feeling his spirits being lifted. "So, this is it? You mean this could actually be our ticket home?"

Anne then chimed in. "Not only that, but maybe out on the road, we'll find Marcy." She said, pulling out the photo of her, Sasha, and Marcy.

"You betcha!" Hop Pop told the humans. "But be warned; the journey's gonna be dangerous. Perilous even."

"Understatement!" Polly added.

Frank glanced at Anne, who smiled and nodded. "Well, we lasted this long. Whatever happens next, one thing's for sure." He said as he and Anne brought each other and the family in for a hug. "If we're together, I know we'll be all right."

Hop Pop grunted a little. "Hugging a little tight there."

"No, we're not, Hop Pop." Anne simply said. "No, we're not.

Despite the harrowing ordeal, Frank felt his hopes rising to new levels. The boy didn't know what was going to be awaiting them. Outside of Wartwood was a world he and Anne only scratched the surface of exploring. He could only imagine the unique places they'll see, what they'll encounter, and who they'll meet. The boy didn't know what was going to be awaiting them.

The journey of survival in this savage valley will now turn into an incredible quest across Amphibia. A grand adventure across the lands, with two goals in sight. The first was to find Marcy and then Sasha, and the second was to find a way home.

Frank and Anne have been living in Wartwood for three months. Now, they'll journey into the frog world was about to begin.

End of Part 1